Thailand to become regional medical hub

BANGKOK, March 16 (TNA) - The government is putting efforts to make Thailand become a medical hub in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) by 2020, when the Kingdom should also become a regional centre of medical equipment production. Hathai Uthai, Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Industry's Office of Industrial Economics, acknowledged on Saturday that Thailand can now export medical equipment worth about 80 billion baht yearly, enjoying a sustain growth of some 10 per cent annually. Hathai pointed out that the value of Thailand's annual medical exports, however, remain lower than one per cent of the combined world market value, suggesting that the country further develop quality of locally-produced medical equipment to be certified under the ISO 13485, a globally recognized standard. According to the senior official, the first market to buy Thailand-produced medical equipment, if their quality meets the international standard, is the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), set to be established by 2015 with a total population of over 600 million. Meanwhile, Dr. Knut Krutkul, secretary and a member of a committee tasked with developing Thailand's medical equipment and materials, reported that there are now more than 2,000 medical equipment companies and 300 plants in the country, which employ more than 10,000 personnel. Currently, Dr. Knut said, Thailand still has to import high-tech medical equipment worth more than 40 billion baht yearly, with the import growth of 15-17 per cent, recommending that Thai small and medium-sized enterprises in the medical sector join hands with foreign investors who have sufficient expertise in the business.(TNA)